The satirical publication declared it was acquiring Infowars, the infamous website founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, through a bankruptcy auction. However, the deal encountered significant setbacks, one of which notably stems from Musk's camp.

On Monday, lawyers representing X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a court document arguing that Infowars' accounts on the platform can't be part of the transaction. According to X’s terms of service, the social media site retains ownership of all accounts, merely granting users a non-exclusive license to use them.

The legal filing, submitted to a federal court in Texas, emphasized that X Corporation's terms of service explicitly state that it owns the accounts. This move complicates the liquidation efforts intended to raise funds for the families of the Sandy Hook mass shooting victims, after Jones was ordered to pay over $1.5 billion in damages for his false claims that the tragedy was a hoax.

A notable element in this legal battle is Musk's recent conduct on the platform. Musk personally intervened to restore the X accounts of Jones and Infowars, accounts which had been suspended under the platform's previous ownership. Furthermore, Musk has a history of condemning The Onion, branding it as "woke," and instead, has thrown his support behind The Babylon Bee, the Christian right's satirical publication.

In their filing, X’s lawyers clarified that they only object to the sale of the accounts on their platform, not the sale of Infowars overall. However, with the primary Infowars account holding over 600,000 followers, this asset is undeniably a key part of the acquisition.

Musk's interference could be seen as a clash of ideologies, given his vocal disdain for The Onion and his support of viewpoints akin to those propagated by Infowars. Alternatively, it might be a stark reminder of who controls the territory of X, with Musk employing similar tactics in the past, such as when he seized the @America handle for his America Super PAC to support Donald Trump.